Book Review: The Uke of Wallington

I have just finished reading ” The Uke of Wallington: One Man and his Ukulele round Britain” by Mark Wallington.

The Uke of Wallington – Mark Wallington (via Amazon)

This is a step into a new genre for me as it is a Travel book, but i found it really interesting!

Mark Wallington has what his wife sees as a midlife crisis and what he sees as an opportunity to fulfill his dream of going on tour as a musician. His only problem? He has a lack of musical talent.

Several failed lessons later, he discovers his talent with a ukulele and decides to go off on a roadtrip of the UK, playing at open mic nights as he travels from place to place. He meets a variety of people, from foreign tourists to local residents, all of whom have different reactions to the ukulele. He finds acceptance in some places, but fails miserably in others but he carries on with his tour nonetheless.

I love how we get a glimpse of the character of each city, village or town as he travels, and his thoughts on each place. It is really interesting to see the characters of the people who join him at open mics and the other people he meets on buses and in the street. We also get hints of what is going on in the UK, from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he bravely takes a stab at performing, to the journey through Scotland where he encounters foreign tourists who disapprove of England because of the 2011 riots.

I give this book 7/10 because you get a sense of community, identity, and passion for music all brought together by one man and his ukulele. It’s a fascinating read and made me want to travel to all these places as well!

Would just like to thank AAPublishing for the free copy of this book as i won their Twitter competition to get a copy!